A Multi-Faith Vigil for Terror Victims in Perth
This Wednesday, 18th of November, Perth’s faith communities will come together to mourn at St George’s Cathedral at 6.30pm.
Led by the Very Reverend Richard Pengelley, Dean of Perth, the vigil will mourn the loss of innocent lives to mindless violence in Paris, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine and elsewhere; and pray for their families, who are dealing with profound anguish and grief at this moment.
‘We want to emphasise that there is no justification in religion for killing innocent human beings’ said Dean Pengelley. ‘All of our faiths share core universal values: kindness, compassion, peace and the sanctity of every human life; after all, we must not forget that these religions are practiced peacefully by billions of adherents around the world on a daily basis.’
President of the Islamic Council of Western Australia (Islamic Council WA), Dr. Rateb Jneid, added his condolences: ‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of all terrorist attacks’. The Islamic Council WA, the peak representative body of Western Australian Muslims, joined grassroots community voices to condemn the terrorist attacks in Paris and Lebanon and expressed their steadfast solidarity with the victims and their families.
Not only does the violence and hatred of extremist groups like ISIS not represent the vast majority of Muslims—the bulk of their victims are in fact innocent Muslim civilians. We must never lump these innocent victims with their killers; religious fanaticism and divisive extremism are our common enemies.
By creating a space of multi-faith mourning at St George’s Cathedral, the organisers want to reaffirm the universal values of kindness, compassion, peace and the sanctity of every human life. We want to show that terrorism has not had its intended effect: we are not divided by our faiths but united by them.
